Be a successful B2B sales professional

Keep monitoring customers in key Industrial segments and industries that contribute more on Volume as your production targets will be met, your key partners in progress like transporters and other critical vendors will be kept busy, your inventory rotation will be healthy.

 Try to increase your orders and sales during events and festivals: when you are driving sales related to fmcg and white goods Products. Sometimes demand can be derived on season based especially in Agri based products. Your efforts should be to derive best share of customer demand during their season.

Location based: Focusing on next door customers will have its own advantages as these customers will add value and volume.

Better Pay masters: You will always have a good value addition when your sales Cycle rotation is quick. "Quote-Receive PO- Receive Payment-Supply"... that's it your sales cycle is realized.

 Always respect and be thankful to your regular customers who give regular monthly orders as these customers are critical to maintain parity in Production during on season and off season. These customers volume may be low but their volume keeps your business sustain.

Avoid hopping customers as they spoil your rate. These customers are very opportunistic as they negotiate every order, they enquire with every supplier. If required sell at your rate to maintain your terms. 

Always share Market insights of your products. Share price trends of your raw materials to make Customers feel that your pricing is in sink with market direction. Try to share best practices in using your products and services to cement your relationship.

Tata group Companies: Our Dummy Gods in our Corporate India

Every day i see thousands of people doing bhajan of TATA GROUP, the great Tata family that empowered and emplaned Industrialization in India. No doubt Tatas bought industries to India, Tatas are pioneers in Aviation, Steel and Information technology and other services.

But why this Jingoism around only Tatas when many other business families had propelled Indian business growth, think about Birlas, Ruia group, Mahindra group, Murugappa group, Kirloskar brothers, Jindals, Adanis, Ambanis, Sanghis, Singhanias, Reddys, Apollo group family, Agarwals etc. 

Tatas are not doing charity right, else why they will sell water?

Is work life balance of Tatas is fantastic? I never heard that from any of my software engineering friends.

Are they good paymasters? No infact today's fresher software engineer trainee or consultant salary is low due to the command of Tatas on initial pay package they offer.

Do TATAs sell all its good much lesser than other similar companies? NO.

Do TATAs products are extraordinary no? Follow their salt packet rate you can understand the price increase they impose regularly.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE dont do this corporate company bhajan...pat yourself that due to your sheer hard work and passion TATA has grown to this level. 

NO BODY, NO ORGANISATION IS BIGGER OR BETTER THAN YOU.

 

Types of Customers in Sales and Marketing

 Any Manufacturing or services company will broadly have three main types of customers/accounts: Key Accounts, Medium Range Accounts and New/Low Volume customers

40% focus should on Key Accounts as their volumes decide your direction of sales targets. Key Accounts or big volumes driving customers demand more attention and focus by virtue, so our daily sales routine should start with monitoring the current sales status and organise all the modalities. Please note if your major customer sneeze your management will get fever so be careful with the top 5 or 10 Key customers. In tough market conditions like what we are in now these big customers/companies in your list cannot afford to completely shut down so their continuity will ensure your continuity.

 

30% focus on Medium Accounts whose sales volume is neither low nor high compared to your top 5 or 10 volume contributors. These customers are slowly getting used to your product/services. If you feel your share is nominal your further efforts should be to increase your volumes. Keep an eye for any cross selling opportunities also to derive more value from this customers and ascend them to key customer in your region. Business from these customers will be volatile for a while as you will be competing for customer’s share so the more you assert for your share the better you can fetch.

 

30% focus on New and low volume customers as these are in nurturing stage and need special attention to bring them up the ladder. We need to regularly tap them to show your eagerness to associate with new prospect. We have to ensure that continuity is established, once continuity is established customer will slowly develop comfort and trust in your product/services and on your company. Be judicious on quantity of time you spare on low volume customers as your time is valuable you can afford same amount of time to every customer.

 

Any other points to add, please comment.

Did you get Vaccinated?

 Corona Virus Vaccination

 

I hope everyone is keeping safe. We have crossed two deadly covid waves of this century. We are still in anguish on our future as 3^rd wave is already posing huge challenges in most developed nations like USA and UK. Our vaccination drive has gained traction, the supply side of vaccination has improved a lot. We are no more troubled to find a vaccine jab at least in metro cities in India. Covishield and Covaxin vaccines were made available but I believe more than 90% of Delhi population might had got Covishield and remaining 10% got Covaxin. I am still amazed as how Covishield was successful in supplying huge volumes and Covaxin remained available for few pockets. Need to appreciate Serum Institute for successfully manufacturing and supplying higher volumes of vaccine doses. This strategy of Serum Institute has sealed huge volumes for them.

 

Being in capital city has its own benefits I observed the availability of vaccines was much better in Delhi than in any other state. I literally tried hours to get my first jab appointment after vaccination window was opened for citizens above 18+ years.  As soon as slots were notified in COWIN website they used to vanish in seconds. After meticulous effort I got my first jab and I could manage one more slot for my wife also. First dose of vaccination had a good mix of free vaccination and paid vaccination options. Governments quickly arranged vaccination centers in various public locations and vaccinated but as soon as central governments sponsored free vaccine doses were over state governments had submitted their inability to organize further doses.

 

However things are changed now there are no more free jabs, all super specialty hospitals are now fully equipped to jab. First week of August I paid Rs.780 for my second jab. Though I felt the rate was a bit high but the fear of pandemic superseded this apprehension. Governments had promised free jab but either they are lacking the will to procure vaccines or they lack funds to invest on this. Private hospitals are making a fortune out of this vaccination as rates of various hospitals vary as per their hospital policy. Though initially vaccines were priced at more than Rs.1000 at some hospitals. Central government renegotiated and bought down the rate by 10% to 20% but still it look high.

 

Don’t mind as we have only shield to this virus, I strongly hope that everyone in our country get vaccinated as early as possible. A

Tips for being Best Key Accounts Manager

 Key Accounts Manager role is critical when your customer is high volume, high growth and highly demanding in their requirements. Please ensure that you remember the below points to be a successful Key Accounts Manager: 

Try to know every stakeholder of your Key Accounts. We never know who will of help to you.

 Try to meet all the important contacts of Procurement, Production, Quality and Stores, just a customary “Hello” will make them feel that you value their presence.

 

A slight delay in your response may wipe off all your hard work. Acknowledge their issues and concerns with quick revert to assure your account that you are there to support. Align necessary damage control measures in hand and assure further help.

 

Orient your internal stakeholders like your plant Production and SCM teams on importance of the Key Account by explaining their volumes and value.

Never lie to the customer, remember trust binds and blinds your Key Accounts from looking out for other options.

 

Send regular updates on your product innovations, impact of raw material pricing, improvements made, milestones crossed.

 

Celebrate important events at customer place, a cake on new year eve, a sweet box on festive season will enhance your relationship with your Key Account.

 

Connect with your Key Accounts contacts on Whatsapp, LinkedIn, Instagram and follow, acknowledge and appreciate every Development.

 

Try to arrange a senior leadership visit once in a year or twice to send a message that customer relationship is important to your company.

 

Try arranging a plant visit to your plant empowering customer to share feedback on your current practices.

Raise of Nissan India on Nissan Magnite and Mr. Rakesh Srivastava MD Nissan India

Nissan Motor Corporation a company known for its SUVs conquered US sales volumes in 2014 was perceived to be one of the most valuable automobile brand. The story of Nissan is a corporate suspense thriller with many ups and downs. Nissan conquered may continents with its fantastic, alluring and empowering passenger vehicles. Nissan was marked for its looks, build quality, power and mileage. The premium models of Nissan Motors were rockets on ground that roughed many world racing circuits.

Nissan India entry in 2005 was an attempt to extend aura of Nissan created around the world. Initially Nissan imported X Tail and other models and sold. 2011 the Renault-Nissan-Mitusbishi alliance had rolled out Desi Nissan Micra from its oragadam Chennai plant to introduce Nissan mark cars to the price and petrol conscious Indian consumer. Nissan Micra was one of the best selling cars in that segment for many years. Nissan introduced many other cars from X-Trail, Nissan Teana, Nissan 370Z premium models and manufactured most loved car brands like Nissan Micra, Nissan Sunny and Nissan Evalia specifically for Indian market. These cars had garnered lot of volumes and value to Nissan brand in India. However the brand from “land of rising Sun” couldn’t make a mark with Indian consumer and India automobile industry, with around 1% share in Indian market Nissan always struggled to join the big league of automakers in India. Every moderately knowledgeable consumer acknowledged that Nissan brand has Unique, Uber cool and best in class car models but that appreciation couldn’t covert in buying Nissan car.

Nissan’s presence was seldom felt beyond 40 cities as it couldn’t penetrate the core consumer nerve centers; 8000 small towns. Indian consumer always looked for location proximity of dealer and service network, spare parts affordability which never worked in favour of Nissan. Initially with imports the cost of maintenance was felt to be high, Nissan cars are perceived to be fantastic till it is in running condition, if something gone wrong the cost of repair and maintenance used to be headache for customers. This consistent aversion to Nissan cars had pushed Nissan to rethink on whether it has to continue in Indian market or continue it’s struggle in already diminished market segment.

However fortunes were destined to the best, Nissan has bought in Mr. Rakesh Srivastava, man who bought volumes to Hyundai and made it second best passenger car brand in India. To arm him Nissan Japan had given him the all new Nissan Magnite. 2020 was the dark year of century ravaged by covid 19, however reeling this pendamic Nissan India quietly set the things for launch of Nissan Magnite. Magnite was pepped up against the mights of Vitara brezza, Hyundai Venue and highly successful Kia Sonet. People believed that Nissan will do something different with Magnite to claim its footage in Indian market but fears were there on how customer will respond as its previous launch Nissan Kicks was not that successful. Beating all the odds Nissan magnite created a rampage in booking, garnered 35000 booking in one month the highest bookings volumes in this segment and one of the best numbers to the awe of many of it’s competitors.

Today two factors are behind Nissan resurgence 

1. Rakesh Srivastava who bought immense confidence behind Nissan India brand and developed better dealership network pan India. 

2. Nissan Magnite, the big, bold and beautiful compact SUV. For now Nissan India is busy to address it’s domestic demand and enjoy the positive vibes it created in International markets. 

However one product cannot win market, Nissan’s future will depend on what products it will bring in and how successful they will stand in immensely competitive automobile segment. 

One thing is sure that Nissan will win big once “Nissan India wins customers in tier II and tier III cities by developing deep network and service locations”. Part of Nissan electric mobility strategy Nissan electric vehicles are bringing great numbers to Nissan Motor corporation. 

India automobile market is also upbeat with success of Tata Nexon EV and MG EV which has immense potential to take early lead if Nissan EV line up is rightly placed in the market.  

As a proud Nissan Magnite owner I wish to see Nissan making to top 5 automobile brands in India.